Kenji Heilman
Roundtable
As it
turns out this Hatsu basho had even less Yokozuna and Ozeki compete the whole 15
days than the paltry Kyushu basho where we had both Yokozuna and two of five
Ozeki out. But this kickoff to 2003
had plenty of stories, and it had more to do with the evolution of sumo and the
passing of the torch than the nagging slew of injuries that is crippling the
sport's popularity.
Hatsu
basho 2003 marked the end of Takanohana's storied 15 year career. What can you say about this guy except
for he will be remembered as a legend of the sport along with the likes of
Taiho, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi, who respectively racked up 32, 31 and 24
tournament victories. Taka comes in
at fourth on the all time list with 22 wins but who knows what that tally would
be without the devastating knee injury that shortened his career. His dominance was such that, if you
would have asked me back in '95 how many he'd win, I'd have bet he would have
easily surpassed Taiho's mark. Taka
was the face of sumo, and his unprecedented comeback last September after a
record seven consecutive tournament absences lifted an entire sport form the
doldrums in magnificent fashion.
The presence of a great Yokozuna such as Taka will be sorely missed, but
do not fret. It seems appropriate
that as the curtain closes on one dominant grand champion, the stage is set for
another to be ushered in.
Enter
Asashoryu. He is coming of age with
consecutive 14-1 performances and the first two of what promises to be his own
impressive tally of yushos. He won
this time despite a pulled calf muscle, fractured toe and jammed finger. He is 32-0 in the first 8 days of the
last 4 basho, a feat matched only by four famous Yokozuna: Tochinishiki, Tamanoumi and the
aforementioned Taiho an Kitanoumi.
He is the only non-Yokozuna to do it. He is one of the fastest risers the
sport has ever seen. He exhibits
such a combination of speed, counter moves, lower body stability and a burning
desire to win that his opponents cannot mount any semblance of an offensive
attack. The sky is the limit for
this 22 year old; if he can stay healthy, Asa's name could very well be among
Takanohana and the legendary greats in the years to come. Starting in March, he will embark on his
journey as sumo's first ever Mongolian Yokozuna.
Besides
headliner Asashoryu, Musoyama was the only other Ozeki or Yokozuna healthy
enough to see through the whole basho and it was a struggle at that, as he
fought through the remnants of a shoulder injury he incurred on day 15 of
Kyushu. Closing with a respectable
loss against Asa this time, Musoyama could only manage an 8-7 mark here but give
this guy some credit for soldiering on.
He came back from a dismal 3-6 record and won 5 consecutive bouts to
uphold the pride of his rank (albiet minimally). Let's hope that by the time March rolls
around we will see not a Musoyama on the mend but a Musoyama back at the top of
his game.
To say
the two Sekiwake clashed on senshuraku (final day) would be an
understatement. Kotomitsuki, who
lost his shot at double digit wins with a loss to (who else) Asashoryu the day
before, seemed in a bad mood and greeted his counterpart Takanowaka with a
roundhouse right harite (slap to face) tachiai that resulted in a violent
clashing of noggins. At that
instant, Takanowaka, who was still in the hunt for his coveted double digit wins
to continue his bid for Ozeki, suffered a concussion and was out on his
feet. He came crashing down to the
dohyo in a heap of dead weight, bleeding above a left eye that was becoming
puffier by the moment. Meanwhile,
Kotomitsuki calmly crouched beside him awaiting his prize money without even a
hint of concern for his fallen foe.
It was somewhat of an eerie scene.
Both finished with 9-6 records that will enable them to keep their ranks
in March but leaves a bit to be desired in terms of the content of their
sumo.
Komusubi
Wakanosato, after two early losses, ended up being Asashoryu's biggest
challenger to the yusho. For his
efforts, he collected his fourth Kantosho, or fighting spirit prize. Unfortunately, he laid an egg against
Dejima on the final day to somewhat sour that prize. 'The Barometer' finishes 11-4 and
resumes his quest for Ozeki in March.
Speaking of Dejima, he was Asa's biggest threat early in the basho by
steamrolling everyone except the Mongolian but lost too much of that steam in
the homestretch that resulted in him losing the Shukunsho, or outstanding
performance award. Still, Dejima
closed with an impressive win over Wakanosato for a 11-4 record, one more win
than he had last basho from the depths of Maegashira. I believe it is safe to say that Dejima
is back. He has also struggled with
numerous injuries, and there is no one more deserving than him to mount a second
bid for Ozeki in Osaka. Two more 11
win records may get him there.
The
other Komusubi Takanonami, coming off a strong 10-5 performance to conjure his
own calls to become a 2-time Ozeki, lost his majority of wins on the final day
this time in a spectacular loss to Takamisakari. Takanonami had this opponent just where
he wanted him, hidari sashi (left inside position) with big right arm clamped
around the other side.
Miraculously, 'Robocop', not one to show defensive resilience or agility
for that matter, endured the attack by tight roping the tawara (straw) before
disposing the bigger Takanonami with an surprisingly strong sukuinage (scoop
throw) from the left side. I think
the quirky Takamisakari was as surprised as anyone, as he stood there motionless
for a moment while the arena erupted in applause. Coming off two losing tournaments,
Takamisakari's win gives him a 10-5 record and guaranteed dates with the big
boys again in Osaka. Takanonami
ends 7-8 and will be relegated to rank and file again.
Rank
and file? There were many
stories. To save you from reading a
novel, I've summed them up in tidbit form:
·
M1
Tosanoumi has been making a habit of entering senshuraku with a 7-7 record. All the better for those of us who
appreciate his all out approach for a win.
He didn't disappoint here with a win over M7 Wakanoyama, who won majority
himself at 8-7. Tosa's important
8th win should give him the promotion to sanyaku he deserved last basho, even if
there will be a log-jam there due to the numerous kackikoshi posted by the
incumbents.
·
M5
Kaiho wrapped up Hatsu basho with a beautifully executed kirikaeshi but finished
one win short of kachikoshi at 7-8.
As the only rikishi to beat Asashoryu, that on another well executed
uchigake, Kaiho would have been a lock for the seldom given Ginosho (technical
merit) award had he won one more bout.
Pound for pound, this guy is one of the best technicians out there.
·
M6
Kyokushuzan (7-8) and M7 Kotoryu (8-7) locked horns for a 4'35 bout on day 15,
complete with mizuiri (water break) in between. While this bout did swing back and forth
a couple times, I was not impressed with the rikishi or the judges. For about 4 minutes of the 4'35, both
guys just stood there. You may say
they're strategizing or jockeying for position, but can you imagine Asashoryu
being idle for even one second?
Neither of these guys wanted to win. This is not good sumo to me. To top it off, the head judge stopped
the bout for the break at one of the rare moments where the two were actually
moving and thus broke the momentum the match so sorely needed.
·
M7
Hokutoriki absolutely stunk the place up with a 4-11 record. I apologize here and now for predicting
this guy had potential. He looked
more like a weaker version of Chiyotaikai at his worst, pushing with only his
upper body. Thank goodness M7
Shimotori looked respectable at 9-6 or you'll never have believed me again when
I try to predict future joi mainstays.
·
Speaking
of joi mainstays, M10 Tochinonada, after 4 losses to open the basho, reeled off
an incredible 11 consecutive wins to finish 11-4. And he wasn't even considered for
a special prize. What's wrong with this picture? 11 consecutive wins is difficult to do
no matter where you are on the banzuke.
Tochi will be in more familiar territory on that banzuke next basho: The joi.
·
Rookie
M12 Takanotsuru (9-6) lost to M5 Iwakiyama (7-8) on the final day and also lost
the Kantosho because of it.
However, with an impressive win over Dejima and by being in the yusho mix
for a while, he has made quite an impression. And with his genetic foot problem, you
can't help but root for the guy.
·
M13
Kasugao, also given the stipulation that he must win to secure Kantosho, came
through in fine fashion to finish 10-5 despite suffering a hamstring pull the
previous day. It was even
questioned whether he could compete.
Well, he came out with purpose and fire for a very impressive win over M2
Kyokutenho (8-7), who is no chopped liver.
Kasugao's speed and aggressiveness exemplifies good sumo. Keep your eye on this Korean; he could
keep climbing.
Below
Makuuchi, we had a sumo first as far as the winners of each division. Actually throw in Asashoryu's win in
Makuuchi, and Jonidan (the second lowest division) was the only division won by
a Japanese rikishi. All others were
won by Mongolians or Europeans.
Look for profiles on a couple of these guys right here at sumotalk.com in
the days to come. The influx of
foreign strength is evolving sumo and is making for an interesting future. We'll get a closer look at Asashoryu's
brethren Asasekiryu, who won Juryo with an 11-4 record, in March. This Mongolian is marching to the top in
a similarly fast fashion but is doing it with a style drastically different from
Asashoryu. Asasekiryu is strictly a
belt guy, and a pretty darn good one.
In
closing, with Takanohana's retirement we'll have another sumo first when the
Osaka basho rolls around in March:
Two foreign born Yokozuna at the pinnacle of Japan's revered national
sport. Although Musashimaru
qualifies as Japanese based on the technicality of his recent naturalization,
sumo purists will probably lament the absence of a 'real Japanese'
Yokozuna. But let's face it. As sumo continues to internationalize,
we will always be able to appreciate its core existence as a sport uniquely
steeped in Japanese tradition. I
hope all of you have enjoyed this Hatsu basho as much as Mike and I have enjoyed
sharing it with you. We thank you
for bringing this website alive and remember, March is just around the
corner!
Day
13 Comments
In today's
highly anticipated feature bout, Asashoryu (12-1) simply overwhelmed Wakanosato
(10-3) with his speedy sumo and moved one very large step closer to the yusho
and Yokozuna promotion. It's all but in the bag now as Dejima
(10-3) dropped his second in a row and seems to be losing
steam, falling this time to crowd favorite Takamisakari (9-4).
You've got to hand it to Asashoryu. Wakanosato
had the upper hand initially at the tachiai but Asa never stops
moving, particularly when he is not at an advantage like today. He doesn't
let his opponent capitalize on position and turns a defensive stance into
offense immediately. When the two clashed, Waka got his preferred
position with left shitate (inside grip) and was looking to grab the right uwate
(outside grip). In other words, he was on offense. But before that
could happen, Asa threw a kotenage (hook throw) using Waka's inside arm and
turned the tables just like that. Superior and lightening quick counter
tactics like this to kill opponents' position, along with his array of
offensive weapons, is what will cement Asa's dominance in the sport in the years
to come.
Takanotsuru,
the other rikishi still in the hunt with an impressive win over Dejima in day
12, went from facing a yusho candidate in makuuchi to facing a
yusho candidate in Juryo. Ironically, he beat the the Makuuchi guy
and lost to Buyuzan (10-3), who is working his way back up after showing
flashes of brilliance in the top flight last year. Takanotsuru drops to
9-4.
Kotomitsuki
lost and Takanowaka won to bring both Sekiwakes' records to 8-5.
The final two days will be crucial for these guys as double digit wins will
allow Kotomitsuki to begin a run for Ozeki while allowing Taka to continue
his bid. Remember that Taka cranked out 11 wins last basho, which means
with 10 here and 12 wins in March he could presumably be promoted.
This is highly unlikely however judging by his inconsistent sumo this
basho.
With two days
to go, it's time to start talking sansho (special prizes). Obviously
the comeback kid Dejima at 10-3 and the two entertaining youngsters
Takanotsuru and Takamisakari, both at 9-4, deserve consideration. Also
coming to mind is Tochinonada (9-4), who after a horrid start has strung
together nine consecutive wins. Whoever gets the nod just may
determine the winner of our hotly contested fantasy sumo competition.
Strap yourselves in folks, we're in the home stretch!
Day
11 Comments
The
yusho picture is coming into focus now as we enter the shubansen (final 5
days). All the hubbub over
previously invincible Asashoryu's leg, coupled with Dejima's spectacular return
to the limelight has us seeing a pretty darn good race. We also have a crowd favorite, a rookie
feel-good story and "The Barometer" all still in the
mix.
Crowd
fave Takamisakari and rookie Takanotsuru both suffered their third losses today,
dropping them to 8-3. While this
was a big blow to their yusho hopes, tomorrow's match-ups give them both an
opportunity to get right back in the hunt.
Takanotsuru faces Dejima while Takamisakari challenges Wakanosato. This will be make or break. Whatever happens, these two have earned
consideration for a sansho (special prize) with their performances, which could
be a nice boost to those of you who have one or both of these guys in your
fantasy stables.
Wakanosato
lost two early but snuck back into the yusho picture a couple days ago by
putting together a string of wins.
He won again today in a not-so-impressive fashion against Kaiho
(5-6). This makes two days in a row
where he's won on paper but lost on content. Both wins have been last gasp prayers,
but I guess you could say he is in good form to be able to pull off such
victories. Waka is a quiet 9-2, but
he should be nothing but trouble the rest of the way. Neither Asashoryu nor Dejima have faced
him. Both will be feature bouts
very soon.
Dejima
made like a Mack Truck again today and floored Kyokutenho. You just gotta love this guy right
now. Smash mouth sumo at its
best. He is like Chiyotaikai but
better because he is more grounded (generates more power from his lower body)
and never lets up on opponents.
Could we see him face Asashoryu again after all, in a ketteisen
(playoff)? If so, I'd say Dejima
may have a leg up this time (pun intended).
Asashoryu,
who stated his nagging leg hasn't gotten better or worse, disposed of newcomer
Iwakiyama (5-6) with relative ease, employing what is becoming a patented deep
shitatenage (inside arm throw) where he nestles in so closely that he can push
his other arm against his opponent's leg for more leverage. The speed with which he can get inside
and establish position is unmatched.
His sense of urgency is even more so now with the suspect leg. He has three more wins to reach his
quota of 13 that seems to have been bestowed him by the kyokai for a
promotion. I think it's a pretty
safe bet.
Day
9 Comments
When I played
the freshly recorded videotape of day 9 this morning and caught wind of
Takanohana's retirement, I must admit I watched the day's bouts in a blurred
daze as I tried to put in perspective the fact that we will never again see one
of the greatest Yokozuna in history grace the dohyo. Unlike Mike, I was not anticipating this
decision, even after his lopsided loss to Aminishiki yesterday. Taka had a huge impact on many a sumo
fan, including yours truly, so I will save my full thoughts on his career for
after the basho. Suffice it to say
that his retirement leaves an emptiness in the sumo world that very few rikishi
in history have or ever will.
That said, did anyone notice that no hands went up to
challenge Asashoryu's improbable loss to Kaiho today? I was like, what's wrong with this
picture? Taka got all kinds of love
from the shinpan on day 2 in the exact same circumstances. Kaiho did clearly win, but not any more
clearly than Miyabiyama's non-win against Taka on day 2. Okay, I won't beat a dead horse here but
I thought this was interesting.
I've always liked Kaiho. He
is like a little summertime mosquito that you can't shake. I also like the story behind his shikona
(fighting name), which is derived from his father's fishing boat
"Kaiho-maru". Another interesting
tidbit is that Kaiho beat Asashoryu 3 times in a row during a practice session
before the basho that infuriated Asashoryu, who then demanded numerous rematches
in which he won the next 5 convincingly to show in no uncertain terms 'who was
boss'. Typical behavior like this
from Asa may rub some the wrong way but it is this intensity, which makes him so
special. Nonetheless he is now 8-1
and seems to have sustained a minor injury to his calf in his first defeat to
boot.
Asa's defeat
combined with Dejima's win (8-1) may make this yusho race interesting after
all. Too bad these two have already
met. Dejima's resurgence has been
impressive as he shows no signs of the Musoyama-like ineptitude that has
hampered his sumo since his fall from Ozeki and his subsequent battle with
injuries.
Speaking of
Musoyama, his fall from grace continues with yet another loss today. It came at the hands of Tokitsuumi, who
put up a respectable fight against Asashoryu on day 8.
Slumping
Takanowaka got back on the winning track against Iwakiyama, who was called on to
face a sanyaku opponent for the first time in his young career.
That's all I
can recall at the moment. Like I
said, I'm still getting over the news of the day. We'll miss you,
Takanohana.
Day
7 Comments
If you are like me, you got a kick out of Mike going
off on Takanohana's tachiai henka yesterday against Tosanoumi. This sidestepping business is Mike's pet
peeve, which is generally understandable, but as I've also stated in the past, I
have a slightly different take on it.
I don't have a problem with rikishi employing this maneuver every once in
a while to keep opponents honest, as long as it doesn't become a bad habit like
Chiyotaikai or a staple of one's arsenal like Asanowaka. That said, I'll concede that Taka's
decision did tarnish a much anticipated bout yesterday, but who would want to
absorb Tosanoumi's tachiai? Not me,
especially with a suspect knee and a freshly banged up shoulder. Under these circumstances, I think it's
permissible even for a Yokozuna to take heart the classic Al Davis slogan "just
win, baby", even if it's at the expense of the fans' anticipation. Judging by the result of Taka's decision
today to take on Dejima straight up, yesterday's move looks even more
golden. Taka (4-2-1), who lost for
the first time on the dohyo today (not really, but officially anyway- see day 2
comments in archives), did not look good trying to stop a hard charging Dejima
(6-1). Even a last ditch counter
effort at the tawara (rope) couldn't derail the second hottest rikishi to date.
Now three wins behind a seemingly invincible Asashoryu (7-0), Taka's got an
almost insurmountable task ahead if he wants to figure into the yusho.
Asashoryu faced
Takanowaka (4-3) in another attractive bout today but, not surprisingly,
Asashoryu won with no problem.
Takanowaka gave what looked like a valiant effort but he looked a bit out
of control on his attack and thus helped himself fall to the dohyo when Asa
maneuvered a bit. A win tomorrow
gives Asashoryu a 32-0 record in the first 8 days of the last 4 basho. A Yokozuna is not supposed to lose early
to rank and filers. I'd say this
impressive streak is true to that expectation.
Musoyama (3-4)
finally bullied somebody today in Musoyama-like fashion, and he even followed
through for the win (applause)! His
victim was the slight Aminishiki (1-6), who looked so good pre-basho that he may
have duped Natsuki into selecting him for his fantasy stable. Natsuki was sitting pretty in first as
of yesterday. Thank goodness for
the rest of us that he did select Aminishiki or he'd be running away with this
thing. To make matters worse for
Ami, it looked like he may have hyper-extended his elbow when he was being slung
about by Musoyama. Like Miyabiyama
and Tochiazuma, will injury claim yet another rikishi this basho? Let's hope not.
Tosanumi (5-2)
stayed hot with a win over Sekiwake Kotomitsuki (4-3). With his bouts versus joi largely behind
him, Tosa's got a good chance to put together an impressive record this
time. You just gotta love this
guy. He's all blue collar, baby.
In hiramaku
(rank & file Maegashira), Kotoryu (6-1) beat rookie Kasugao (5-2) in a
battle of once-beatens to stay in the driver's seat for chasing Asashoryu. The other guy right up there with him is
none other than Takamisakari (6-1), who after two sub-par bashos is showing that
he belongs near the top of Makuuchi.
Let's just hope he doesn't lose his steam beating himself into a pulp
gearing up for his opponents every day.
Day
5 Comments
The big
news today in an otherwise ho-hum day of bouts was Takanohana's return to the
dohyo. It was the first time in 49
years that a Yokozuna went down mid-basho and actually came back. As Mike mentioned, the kyokai eased him
back by putting him up against Toki (0-5), a one-dimensional slapper with no
belt technique. Even though Taka
(3-1-1) continues to be coddled, give him credit for coming back to silence his
critics and showing that he is up to the task. He let Toki do his thing for a while and
then disposed of him without even having to grab the belt. Taka will be tested tomorrow because, to
borrow again from Mike, Tosanoumi (4-1) will be “bringin' it.”
The
Asashoryu (5-0) express, enroute to Yokozuna land, rolled by fellow countryman
Kyokutenho (3-2). The manner in
which he won, uwatenage with other hand pushing down on the back of his foe's
neck, conjured shades of Yokozuna great Chiyonofuji.
Tochiazuma
(0-5) lost again, but at least he put up some resistance today against a strong
Dejima (4-1). Tochi's dismal
performance thus far may be due in part by his being hospitalized for intestinal
problems before the basho. He was a
little slow getting up off the dohyo after today's loss. Let's hope this warrior can 'gut it out'
and duplicate the strong second half he posted in November.
Musoyama
(2-3), however, was totally uninspired in losing for the third time in five
days. Worse yet, it came at the
hands of Kotonowaka (1-4) who hasn't exactly been knockin' um dead. Does anyone know of any physical
problems with Musoyama? We need
these Ozeki to step up in the absence of all these top rikishi,
not stink up the place.
As for
the rank and filers, Kotoryu (4-1) and Kaiho (4-1) both suffered their first
defeats at the hands of Takanotsuru (4-1) and Tosanoumi, respectively. Takamisakari (4-1) and Kasugao (4-1)
notched wins to keep pace with the one-loss field. Unfortunately, they're all chasing
Asashoryu.
Tochinonada
(1-4) finally won his first bout.
This guy is way too good to be struggling this low. He is killing Mike and yours truly in
our inaugural fantasy sumo feature.
Folks,
we are one third of the way through and Asashoryu is the only remaining
unbeaten. He is on another level
right now. Not only does it look
like he will prove me wrong and win his first 8 for the fourth straight basho,
he looks stronger than ever. The
only guy I see standing in his way to a 15-0 record is, dare I say,
Takanohana.
Day
3 Comments
A
travesty occurred on day 2 of this tournament. Mike touched on it in his day 2 comments
but I still haven't gotten over it.
Let's cut to the chase here.
Takanohana is being coddled by the higher-ups. Miyabiyama beat Takanohana fair and
square; it was just as close as Takanohana's own miraculous last gasp win on day
1 but that bout didn't even warrant a mono-ii. Why? Because Takanohana got the nod by the
gyoji on day 1, that's why. But as
soon as the nod goes against Taka on a close call, as in day 2, the hands go
up. Let's help the beleaguered
Yokozuna on, shall we? Sumo needs a
boost these days with all the injuries.
What better to rekindle fan interest than to have Takanohana face
Asashoryu on day 15 with the yusho on the line. Well, Taka hurt his shoulder and is out
now anyway. It serves the Sumo Kyokai right. The fans don't deserve to be served
that kind of crap.
As far
as day three, I'd say the highlight was Dejima's convincing win over Takanowaka,
who had continued his torrid sumo until that point. This win by Dejima speaks volumes for
Asashoryu more than anything because Asa made Dejima look helpless the day
before. Dejima is back folks, and
Asa made him look like an amateur.
Asashoryu's
victim today was Miyabiyama.
Despite a gallant effort by Miyabi, the Asashoryu freight train will not
be derailed. To boot, it looks as
though Miyabi aggravated his ankle injury that he suffered from his miraculous
non-win against Takanohana. This
doesn't bode well for those of us who have Miyabi in our fantasy
stables.
Long
time rivals Musoyama and Tosanoumi butted heads for the 30th time. This is a
battle of brute force that rarely disappoints and today was no exception. Tosanoumi got the W this time to tie the
series at 15 wins apiece. These two
duking it out personifies what sumo is all about.
Tochiazuma
looks plain awful. At 0-3, his back
is against the wall again. Whether he can string together an impressive streak
of wins as he did in November remains to be seen, but at this juncture it does
not look good. At least he won't be demoted if he can't get his 8 wins this
time.
With the two
promising rookies Kasugao and Takanotsuru losing for the first time, attention
can now turn to Kotoryu, Kaiho and Takamisakari in the lower Makuuchi.
These three have impressed so far with three straight wins to open the new
year.
Day
1 Comments
I don't know whether it's just the new year, the last
minute entry of Takanohana or the debut of fantasy sumo, but what an exciting
first day to kick off 2003! Who noticed that Kaio and Chiyotaikai are
out? Not this fan, anyway. Let's start at the bottom and work our
way up to summarize day one.
The two
shin-nyumaku (rookies) generating the most press, Korean Kasugao and side-burned
Takanotsuru, both got off to good starts. Of course it's early, but these
guys may be pretty fun to watch.
Boy, did you
see Takamisakari? He's taken his pre-bout ritual of knocking
himself silly to get fired up to a new level. I thought he might
lose his balance or something. It seems to have worked, as he used his
powerful right inside arm position to scoop throw the hard charging Akinoshima
for an impressive win.
Aminishiki, who got raves at the official
pre-tournament practice session in front of the cameras, helped make a case for
not getting too caught up in such hype as he was easily manhandled by
Tokitsuumi.
Takanonami must
think he's 20 again and shooting for Ozeki for the first time. In a battle
of veterans, Taka showed uncharacteristic aggressiveness and speed in disposing
of Kotonowaka. It was the 51st time these two have clashed.
Toki came out
in a blue suit instead of his trademark bright orange but it didn't help to stop
Takanowaka, who looks to have lost no steam from his 11-4 break out basho in
November.
Dejima
absolutely bulldozed Sekiwake Kotomitsuki. Wow is the only word I can
think of here. He's got Asashoryu tomorrow. You won't miss that one
if you're any kind of sumo fan these days.
Musoyama was
his usual self. He took charge early with a strong tachiai, shoving
Kyokutenho to the tawara (rope) only to be twisted down at the last second for
an opening day loss. What is it with this guy? Will he ever be able
to follow through?
The other
wildcard, Tochiazuma, ran into a more determined rikishi today in M1
Miyabiyama. At least he didn't employ his habitual pulldown tactic.
Miyabi's impressive opener makes tomorrow's matchup against Takanohana all
the more intriguing.
Onto
the two feature bouts. Asashoryu had an early test today in
his new quest for Yokozuna. His opponent was none other than my fave,
the smash mouth Tosanoumi, and Asa did not disappoint. In fact, he
neutralized Tosa's charge with no problem, then overwhelmed him with superior
speed. Asa said he was a little nervous, but if this is how he
responds to anxiety then we've got our first Mongolian Yokozuna sooner than
you might think.
Takanohana,
coming off another hiatus, was tested as well as he took on the Barometer,
Wakanosato. Waka brought the house and deserved to win this one, but
Taka somehow won while toeing the rope in a completely sideways position
with the Komusubi barreling down on him. This is unbelievable. That
kind of agility is rarely seen by a completely healthy rikishi in a good
rhythm, much less from a guy with a highly questionable
knee on day 1 of a tournament for which he practiced sparingly.
Remember, this is only Taka's second active tournament in the last
10! Fans, you're watching a legend here. Appreciate him while
you can.
That's all for
now folks. Keep an eye on those fantasy standings—it's going to be a
rock'um sock'um basho!
2003 Hatsu Basho
Pre-basho Report
December 29,
2003 -- The mood is always fresh as the Hatsu basho kicks off
another new year, but the circumstances are familiar as we again
head into a tournament with a depleted field. This time, three of the
seven rikishi from the top two ranks are already confirmed
casualties (Musashimaru- wrist; Kaio- bicep; Chiyotaikai- triceps) while two
others are apparently participating but probably at less than 100% (Takanohana-
knee; Musoyama- shoulder). This opens the door a little wider
for the red hot Asashoryu to charge through this basho, claim another
yusho and stamp his ticket to Yokozuna promotion. But will it be that
easy?
Asashoryu, welcome to life in a fishbowl- again.
This makes three out of the last four basho where all eyes have been
focused squarely on the Mongolian fireball. He came through on his bid for
Ozeki promotion in July, passed the pressure packed test as shin-Ozeki in
September, then looked downright gaudy in winning his first shihai as a
sophomore Ozeki in November, the only basho where he wasn't in the pre-basho
headlines. So he's clutch, and I'm definitely a fan, but I think he'll be
hard pressed to continue his streak of surviving the first 8 days unscathed
for the fourth basho in a row, even with a less than stellar field.
Unfortunately, there's no one out there on the radar screen to take the yusho
from him, so Asashoryu wins again at 12-3 and becomes the first Mongolian
Yokozuna in March.
As usual,
whether Takanohana competes is anybody's guess at this point.
We probably won't know until 3 days before shonichi. But we
all DO know what this guy is capable of, as witnessed by his
dramatic comeback effort in September. If he does
indeed participate and does so for the entirety of Hatsu basho,
he will be Asa's biggest obstacle to the
yusho.
Will Tochiazuma
come to play or will he sidestep his way through another basho? That is
the question. It was somewhat permissible last basho since he was coming
off an injury, but that stuff won't fly this time. Only time will tell if
we see the tenacious Tochiazuma again in January.
I have not seen
or read the first thing about Musoyama's condition in the past month. If I
knew he were completely healthy, I'd go out on a limb and pick this guy to come
up big and challenge for the title but I cannot. Judging by his injury
prone shoulder and his suspicious final bout in November, not to mention his
tendency to look strong yet lose often, it's hard to feel confident about
this guy right now.
It's a
tale of two Sekiwake. For Takanowaka, we'll find out if an
impressive 11-4 record in November means he's really coming of age or if he's
simply coming and going. For Kotomitsuki, we'll see if a
mere 8-7 is really the best he can do at this rank. I say he steps
back up this time and shows he belongs among the big
boys.
The two at
Komusubi are interesting as well. Takanonami is coming off a refreshingly
strong basho where he sustained his first half momentum to finish with double
digit wins. Like Mike says, this guy still has it; it's simply a matter of
whether he wants it bad enough. Wakanosato, on the other hand, is coming
off a lackluster Kyushu where he posted only 7 wins after looking like potential
Ozeki material for several bashos preceding. I feel confident that Waka
will shake off his slump and resume his quest for Ozeki with the New Year.
The
rank-and-filers are headed by two joi mainstays in Tosanoumi and
Miyabiyama. Tosanoumi got the banzuke shaft this basho when, after
posting a strong 8-7 record in Kyushu, he only got bumped to the more
prestigious east side of M1 instead of getting the nod for Komusubi like he
deserves. Considering Tosa's performance of late coupled with
Wakanosato's lack thereof last basho, I think the rank for these two should
be switched. Look for Tosa to bring the heat in '03 as usual and
cause many a hikiwaza by opponents when they get a taste of his
tachiai. Tosa's counterpart, Miyabiyama, is due for a good
tournament. I believe he is as healthy as he's been in a while and thus he
is my pick for a sansho this basho. Miyabiyama, as much as I dislike him,
wins 10 and takes Shukunsho.
Don't worry, I
won't dissect the remainder of Maegashira one rank at a time. From M2
down, we're dealing mainly with yo-yo rikishi- the guys who come up to Makuuchi
joi only to get blasted down the ranks before working their way up
again. The only possible exceptions I see are Dejima at M3 and
Tochinonada way down at M10. These guys are good enough to hang around at
the top. Two others get my nod as on-the-brink joi mainstays- Hokutoriki
at M6 and Shimotori at M7. Hokutoriki has weathered
the newcomer joi wall and, while his sumo still needs polishing,
I'll stick my neck out and say he takes Kantosho with a 9-6
outing. Shimotori's sumo shows no flash and thus goes unnoticed
often, but he's a pretty good technician. He could develop into a
mainstay pretty soon.
Aside from
keeping an eye out for the fortunes of sophomore rikishi Iwakiyama (10-5
and Kantosho as shinnyumaku in November) and shinnyumaku Kasugao (11-4 and
Juryo Yusho), that's about it. The injuries continue to hinder the
popularity of sumo but that is a can of worms for another day. Let's just
sit back and enjoy what we have and hope for the best in Heisei
15-nen!
Hatsu basho
predictions:
Yusho:
Asashoryu, 12-3
Shukunsho:
Miyabiyama, 10-5
Kantosho:
Hokutoriki, 9-6